


The Hogwarts Court

by Hayleythewriter



Category: All For the Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hogwarts AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 21:29:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7774414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hayleythewriter/pseuds/Hayleythewriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neil Josten was proud to say that he was perfectly normal, thank you very much. Or, the Hogwarts Au that we all needed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hogwarts Court

Neil knew that going to Hogwarts in the first place was a terrible idea. That’s why from ages 12-16 he’d been able to stay away. But now, he was a seventeen year old wizard who just couldn’t take another year of muggle public school. It would kill him faster than Avada Kedavra. 

The Hogwarts Express ride had been awkward, but better than he’d expected. He talked to no one and blended in perfectly. It was almost too easy. He and his mother had spent the last 5 years hiding in the muggle world, moving around constantly. Yet no matter where they went, one of his father’s . . . associates always seemed to appear eventually. Now that his mother was dead, there was nobody to stop him from making his way to platform 9 ¾. 

Neil knew that only one person in all of Hogwarts had previously met him, and therefore posed a threat to his current fake identity, but luckily Kevin Day hadn’t even been on the train. Apparently, he didn’t leave Hogwarts during the summer. He couldn’t be away from the Quidditch field for that long. 

Although Neil was stupid enough to enroll in Hogwarts for his seventh year, he at least had enough brain cells to know there was absolutely no way he could sign up for the Quidditch team. When he was 11, and still living with both of his parents in one location, he, Kevin, and Kevin’s cousin, Riko, had played Little League Quidditch together. Of course, walking in on his father going full Deatheater had decidedly cut the game short. But Neil wasn’t going to think about that. 

He was going to think how stupid he was currently being. 

It was midnight, and sneaking out of your room was forbidden. He was Neil Josten, and his mother had always said Quidditch was forbidden. Yet here he was, out of his room playing some midnight Quidditch. 

He just had to. Neil had always been drawn to Quidditch in a way he could never fully explain. Flying on a Quidditch field were probably the happiest moments of his life. Up in the sky he felt free and powerful and- 

Bam. 

A bludger that Neil had definitely not released slammed into his side, knocking him off his broom and bringing him spiraling towards the field. The irony of dying while playing the one thing that’d ever made him happy flashed before his mind as he fell through the starry night. 

And suddenly, a foot before he reached the hard, cold grass, Neil stopped- magically suspended in the air. Professor Wymack and a boy that Neil recognized immediately were standing before him.

“God damn it, Minyard,” Wymack slowly lowered his wand as Neil slowly lowered to the ground, “this is why we can’t have nice things.” 

Andrew Minyard in the flesh. When Neil was sorted into Slytherin, he’d been careful not to make friends with anyone in his house, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t recognize the Syltherin Quidditch team’s most deadly investment. Andrew didn’t start Hogwarts when he was 11 either- you couldn’t enroll if you were in juvie. But upon his release he was cornered by Kevin and Riko- the star Quidditch players from Durmstrang, who asked him themselves to join their team. Andrew refused, and accepted his Hogwarts letter. Most people assumed it was because his twin brother, Aaron, and cousin, Nicky, were already attending Hogwarts themselves. 

Neil knew he had to get out of here- playing the sport was bad enough, but being caught by the coach and star player of his house’s own team? He might have to run from Hogwarts for a screw up like this. At least it wasn’t Kevin. If Kevin had been the Slytherin player to appear, Neil would definitely have fled. He couldn’t risk his past catching up with him. 

“Didn’t see you at try outs,” Coach Wymack asked, looking him up and down. 

“I’ll just go to my room,” Neil picked up his broom and tried to not look like a caged animal, “and I won’t come back anymore.” 

“Well, don’t stop on our behalf,” Wymack wasn’t grinning, but you could hear it in his voice. Neil didn’t know how long they’d been watching him, but he was starting to feel sick to his stomach, “You’re the sixth year transfer, right? It just so happens, Slytherin could use a striker.” 

“I don’t play,” Neil said quickly, because he was sure of that. If his mother could see him now. She’d crucio him on the spot. 

Wymack’s eyes were filled with enough determination to move mountains, “No. You play like you have everything to lose. And you should play with us.” 

Neil stood on the dark Quidditch pitch, across from Wymack and Andrew Minyard, and for the first time since he’d been at Hogwarts, he felt completely terrified. This couldn’t be happening. If they thought he was going to join a Quidditch team with Kevin Day, they had another thing coming. Maybe it was the world’s way of showing him what could happen if he stayed in the same place for too long. The wizarding world was too small for a boy to get lost. This time, he might see Kevin. Next time, it could be his father. 

“I’m not going to join a Quidditch team,” Neil tried to put venom in his tone, “It’s not a good idea.” 

Wymack nodded, “Your opinion has been duly noted and dismissed. Anything else, or are you going to sign on?” 

“Too good to play with us?” Andrew taunted. “Or too scared?” 

“He’s going to play.” 

Neil knew the voice before he even saw the broad outline of Kevin Day on the pitch. This was it. Everything was over. Kevin would recognize him, and turn him in, and then- 

“Do you have any previous Quidditch experience?” Kevin asked, sharp eyes inspecting his every inch. 

“No, I don’t,” Neil felt relief like ice water down his robes. Kevin didn’t recognize him. He’d considered polyjuice potioning himself before coming to school, but decided that the ingredients would be too difficult to find. Muggle hair dye and brown contacts had really deceived Kevin? Neil wasn’t foolish enough to think his anonymity would last forever. But, maybe it could last a season. 

“I know what I saw tonight, Kevin,” Wymack said, “and so do you. He’s born for Quidditch- and I’m sure you’ve heard of the Slytherin team’s reputation.” 

Neil just nodded. All of his roommates were afraid of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Every member had a dark stigma attached- there wasn’t a single pureblood member. 

“Well, I don’t choose teammates for the publicity. This team is about second chances. Every Slytherin has ambition, but only a few have had that ambition truly proven. I look for kids who have gotten knock out by life, and still manage to crawl back on their brooms.” 

“We’ll still need to see him play,” Kevin spoke, harshly. “Tomorrow, here, 2 o’clock.” 

“What’s your name, again?” asked Wymack, already envisioning the jersey. 

Neil glanced once more, from Kevin, to Andrew, to Wymack. He didn’t see his old life in any of them. Even though getting caught tonight was a mess, he wasn’t sorry he did it. Flying was the only time he lived. 

“Josten,” he said, firmly. “Neil Josten.”


End file.
